Collecting source separated waste in large cities is a challenge

Collecting source separated organic waste in large cities isn't easy. Most municipal organic waste consists of kitchen refuse and diapers which are wet and sticky. This makes it hard for residents to deal with. This problem is easily solved when allowing people to collect this type of waste in plastic bags. This has been happening in Canada since 2007. Orgaworld is active in several locations in Canada.

A successful launch in Canada

A Canadian trade mission, with representatives from the City of Toronto and the Region of York (Ontario), visited Orgaworld's tunnel composting site in Lelystad in 2003. The delegation was very enthusiastic about the possibilities and results of tunnel composting which led to a request for participation in a tender for the processing of organic waste for the regional Municipality of York where the goal was to achieve source separated collection. After winning the tender, we started to look for a suitable location for the composting facility and partners to help us implement this project. The facility was built in London and has 12 tunnels, indoor compost maturation hall and a state-of-the-art odour abatement treatment system which has and continues to limit odour emissions as much as possible. The facility has the capacity to process 150,000 tons of organic waste per year and currently transforms 120,000 tons of organic waste into high-quality compost which benefits the surrounding area.

The benefits speak for themselves

The collection of organic waste in plastic bags is a great alternative for large cities. One of the reasons for this is the higher level of public participation as this considerably raises the percentage of waste recycled. This is one of the reasons why we currently have a long-term contract and working relationship with the Region of York for the processing of a large percentage of its organic waste.